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Test Kitchen Tribulations: Cracker Edition

August 26, 2020 | by Parker Ewing
Test Kitchen Tribulations: Cracker Edition

 

Crackers are here. They’re crunchy, savory, salty. They’re low-carb and fat-fuelled—perfect for snacking. But, they weren’t always this way. It’s actually a pretty crazy story! It involves a kid who dreamed of going to Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, a little bit of help from Mom and Dad’s kitchen, a few sprigs of rosemary, and 1,000 lbs of crackers. Oh, and these little crunchy squares were over a year in the making. Buckle up, it’s time for a history lesson—Fat Snax Style!


Meet the Guy Behind Our Crackers: Daniel Vlodaver, Research Chef 👨‍🍳 

Daniel has always loved cooking. At 11 years old, Daniel dreamed of studying culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. He even printed out an application, filled it out, and tucked it away into a drawer, promising that he would send it off when he finally turned 18. 

When he “grew up,” he realized that the long hours and hectic schedule of the restaurant world might not be for him. So, he went to college to study Food Science and set out for a career where he could be a chef for companies! 

After a few internships (including one at a pasta factory with *actual* rivers of pasta and one at the renowned Zahav of Philadelphia), Daniel met Fat Snax Founder, Jeff. And our crackers were born! Well, maybe not that quickly. 


Cracker Evolution💥

Jeff asked Daniel to make a prototype of the OG Fat Snax Cracker™. He had 2 weeks for this mad dash, so Daniel rushed from his NYC apartment (sans-kitchen) back home to Minnesota to borrow his parents’ kitchen. He tested a whopping 10 recipes per day and finally came up with a plain and cheddar keto cracker. And Jeff loved them!

They still had a ways to go, though…and so did Daniel. He packed his bags for San Francisco, CA to become a full-time Fat Snax Cracker Wizard. In the sunshine state, he began to make over 50 different iterations of the Sea Salt Cracker.  

Which keto ingredients are the best? How much water is too little, or too much? How can I make the cheddar crackers super cheesy? (Answer: Real Cheese. Always) What’s the perfect amount of crunchiness? Will mozzarella be weird? (Yes) How can we keep these crackers fresher for longer? (Rosemary!) And just when they were almost perfect, in February of 2020, the Fat Snax crew decided to make a big batch of crackers for a convention. Big as in 1,000 lbs big. 


That One Time They Made 1,000 lbs of Crackers 👊 

“Let’s do it by hand?” Daniel and Jeff hired chefs from around The Bay Area to help them bake 1,000 lbs of crackers at a commercial kitchen. In three days. Three days in a row, twelve hours each day. Mixing, rolling out dough, cutting into squares, baking. Eating a few. 

And then, the conference was cancelled due to COVID-19. All of their hard work...Poof! Did your crackers just fall out of your mouth? Because, same. On the plus side, Daniel’s cabinets have been stocked to the max with crackers during quarantine. #StillWinning


If you ever want to make a keto recipe on your own…🤔

Daniel says, “With keto stuff, it’s a slow, tedious process. It takes adjusting everything slightly over and over again, until you eventually get it to where you want it to be. Just keep at it, you’ll get there!”

We hope that when you dig into your crackers, whether you’re snacking on them alone or dunking them into your favorite dips, you’ll have a better appreciation for the work and love that went into making them. Just for you! 


Tried our Fat Snax Crackers yet? Get yourself a box! Or two, or three, or four… 😁